Sttction-pbodttcing appabattts



e. w. GARMAN.

SUCTION PRODUCING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 5. 1919. I V

Patented Oct. 28,1919. 3 SHEETS-$HEET 1 A TTOR/VEYS.

e. w. GARMAN.

sucnon PRODUCING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APHL5) 1919.

'1 320,224. atented Oct. 28, 1919.-

' Y 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORNEYS.

G. W. GARMAN.

SUCTION PRODUCING APPARATUS. APPLICATIO/N FILED APR.5. 1919.

Patented Oct. 28, 1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3 INVENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT. oruicu.

GEORGE W. GABMAN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB, I BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO ELECTORA MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

" sue'rron-rnoi'm'cnve APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patgntefl Oct. 28, 1919:

Application filed April 5, 1919. Serial no. 287,777.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE GARMAN,

I a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented a new and useful Suction-Producing Apparatus, of

' which the following is a specification.

. eliminated.

This invention relates'to the general class of suction-producing devices in which'are embodied rotary fans, and particularly to rotary mechanisms adapted to create such in these instruments, it is,'of course, essential to deaden the sounds of the vibration occasioned by the operation of the devices which create the vacuum, without limiting the rapidity of their action or vacuum-creat-- mg power',-it being of the essence of the satisfactory commercial operation of these suction devices that all metallic sounds necessarily created by their physical operation should be deadened and practically The many advantages resulting from overcoming the objections which have heretofore been inherent in the various com-.

mercially known and operated suctionpro ducing devices used in the player piano industry, are largely secured by my present apparatus, the organization of which en-f ables me to cheapen the construction, sim-" plify the assemblage of parts, add to the effective capacity, and at the same time and in so doing dispense with the mass of sound deadening material heretofore frequently employed in devices of this character. I:

The objects of my invention, beingessentially the'foregoing, forthe purpose of illus- I trating it I have shown in the-accompany ing drawings a certain type and embodime I because in practice it has satisfactory and reliable results.

various instnrmentalities and components in givenmost I vention is illustrated and hereinafter de scribed as embodied, can be variously modified, and that my invention is not therefore limited to the precise arrangement and organization of. the instrumentalities which are typified in the construction shown and hereinafter described.

In the accompanying.drawings; Figure 1 represents, side elevation an partly in section, a" suction-producing apparatus embodying a preferred form of my invention. r

.Fig. 2 represents the same apparatus in central, vertical section throughout, except as to the armature and commutator of the motor.

Fig. 3 represents a top plan view of either one of the fan chamberswhen, as in my present organization two of such chambers are preferably employed.

Fig. lrepresents a plan of the upperof the two vane chambers. represented in the typical embodiment of 1 and 2. i

Fig. 5 similary represents a plan of said lower of the two vane chambers. Fig. 6 represents a fragmentary, sectional detail of a modified form of tubular rubber gasket which I employ between the baffle disk and the cover plate of the casing of the fan chambers and the vane chambers,

and

Fig.7 represents a modified form of baffle chamber and-adjuncts.

corresponding parts. Y

. Referring to the drawings,

'1 designates a container preferably cast, for inclosing all of the operative and assembled parts which my invention embodies;

This container at its upper portion is cylindric and about midway of its length is contracted as at 2, and below its contracted portion extended in cylindrical form.

"as 3- and terminated in an open "bottom 4.

. 85 Similar numerals of reference indicate .5".designates a lid or. cap, preferabl f I conie'alform, which-is secured, convenientli; -ment of it which is at present preferred by retaining screws 6 to the upper, openjj circumferential edges of the upper. portion,

, Into this lid, andpreferably although not loo necessarily. central of it, opens-an intake 7-,

V the inner orifice 8 of which opens a break thevibration between the body andthe lid of the container.

Lying upon the upper surface of the baflle disk 12, and shellacked or otherwise adherently fastened thereto, is a cheese-cloth or kindred dust-proof fabric 14: which prevents the passage of particles of dust through air orifices 15 in the baffle disk.

A desired plurality of these air passages are formed and spaced sufficiently far in from-the periphery of the bafiie disk 12 to cause them to open within an air chamber 16 which is formed between the cover plate 17 of the fan and vane chambers and said baflle disk, by the interposition of either a plurality of two or more,or one as in the construction of Fig. 6,circular and tubular rubber gaskets 56, which in the as semblage of the parts are compressed sufficiently to make said air chamber 16 air tight.

In the organization under discussion, an upper cylindric casing 18, closed above by the cover; plate 17 is superposed upon a lower cylindric casing 19,both of which casings are inclosed within the upper por tion of the container,and respectively inclose each an upper fan chamber both des ignated 20, and a lower vane chamber 21 and 22.

The upper casing 18 has a bottom plate 23 which constitutes in a sense the cover plate of the lower casing 19, the bottom plate 2d of which latter is formed with a cylindric downwardly extending motor-field frame or housing 25, which terminates in a carrying frame 26 which supports the cominntator 27, and in conjunction with the housing 25 forms a means of support for the field 13 of the motor, the vertically disposed armature of which is designated 66, and the vertical armature shaft as to its upper extension designated 28 and to its lower extension 29.

In the assemblage of the parts thus far described, the armature shaft 2829 is mounted for rotation in an upper bearing 30 for-med centrally and as a part of the bottom plate 24 of the lower casing 19 and in a lower bearing 31 formed in the housing 26.

These bearings which are each of the same construction, form the subject-matter of a separate application for patent executed and filed by, me contemporaneously with this application, and need not therefore, be herein described except to say that they each em- 'tirety together with the upper and lower casings which constitute in effect an integral casing and respectively contain the fan chambers and the vane chambers, I introduce within the container-a. cup-shaped bottomed cup mufiler 33, preferably formed of spun sheet metal, with its walls vertical; its bottom 34 fiat and its open upper portion formed with a circumferential, radially and outwardly extending horizontal flange 35, which is adapted in the assemblage of the parts to rest upon a plurality of supporting blocks of cork 36, or kindred material, which in turn rest upon internally extending shoulders 37 integral with or attached to the contracted portion of the container.

It will thus be understood that the cup muffler 33 incases the motor field housing 25, the carrying frame 26 for the commutator, and the commutator, and extends down to about level with the open bottom A} of the container.

The accurate alinement of the cup mufiier relatively to its contained motor and to the surrounding open bottom of the container is effected by the interposition of a plurality of vertically disposed strips 38, of wool felt,

or its equivalent, inserted between its own outer wall and the inner wall of the lower cylindric portion 3 of the container itself.

39 designates a plurality of resting blocks or cushions of cork or kindred compressible and resilient material, which are superposed upon .the horizontal flange 35 of the cup muflier immediately over the lower blocks 36 which rest upon the shouldeis 37 of the con tainer;-such number of these resting blocks as will correspond to the number of the shoulders, being employed.

Upon these resting blocks 39 is superposed and rests the bottom plate 24 of the lower casing 19, so that, as a result, both the casing and the motor as entireties rest and are supported in cushioned relationship, so to speak, upon the shoulders concentrically within the container and clear of its internal walls. 7

4:0 designates a plurality of connecting rods or bolts, at their lower ends in prefera-bly threaded connection with lugs 4-1 upon the outer wall of the lower casing 19, and at their upper ends passing through apertures in the extended outer rim of the cover plate 17, beyond and above which they are formed with heads 42 which, in the tightening action, bear down upon the cover plate. when the two casings are locked together by the rotation of the rods.

Above their heads the bolts are extended and preferably threaded to hold in place cork cushions 43 which more or less completely fill the open area between the cover plate 17 and the bafiie disk 12,and serve to effect a balanced vertical cushioning action,

' so'to speak, between the casings and the mothe cover plate 17 which tor as an assembled whole, and the resting blocks 39 and 36 and the shoulders 37 upon which the entire structure within the container rests.

The upper casing 18 which rests upon and is fitted to the lower casing 19 so that the two casings are in effect one, is inclosed by centrally and alinedly with the motor shaft is formed with a circular throat 45,while the bottom plate 23 of said upper casing is formed with a counterpart throat 46.

- The lower casing 19 which is inclosed above by the bottom plate 23 of the upper casing 18, is itself formed with a; bottom plate'2 twhich I have termed the base plate, from which, as already explained, depends, integrally or attachedly, the motor housing 25.

v This base plate is also centrally formed with a throat 4:7-.see Fig. 5which opens into the hollow interiori of thecylindriform and in the organization I six 1n number.

field of the motor;

' The upper bearing ,30 of the armature .shaft is concentrically disposedwithin the circumscribing area of the throat 47, and is supported upon brackets 48', or kindred supports integral with or attached to the base closed above by the cover plate 17 of the upper casing and the lower blades by the bottom plate 23 of said casing.

As will be observed from Fig. 2, the bladesupporting disks 49 and the-fan blades 51,

which extend directly from the hubs 50 outwardly to the perimeter of the disks,all fall short'of-extending to the inner walls of their respective inclosing casing, so that them within their v$0 lower 1.18.22, are

a circumferential ,air space extends around casing. .I I

The vane chambers which nated, respectively, the upperas 21 and the preferably counterpart when considered I as chamber areas, and

differ only in the T have desig a the fan blades the air is,

preferred number externally bounded by the V vanes, ofwhich those in the upper are six and designated 52, while those in the lower chamber are four and designated 53. i

I The upper vane chamber 21, as willbe understood from Fig. 2, isformed between the, under surface of the upper blade-supporting disk 49 and the upper surface of the bottom plate 28 of the upper casing 18,- while the lowervane chamber 22 is formed between the under surface of the lower blade-supporting disk 49 and the upper surface of the, base plate 2a of the lower casing 19.

The upper vanes 52 extend from the edge of the throat 46 to a distance equal to and matching with the perimeter of the upper disk 4C9, while the lower vanes 53 extend from beyond the throat 47 to a distance equal to and matching with the perimeter of the lower disk 49.

In 'the operation of the apparatus, the passage of the air is in the directionof the arrows shown in Fig. 2,-in and through the intake 7,-through the baffle chamber 9,the air orifices 15,-the air chamber 16, the throat i5,the upper fan chamber 20,the circumferential air space within the upper'casing 18,-the-upper vane chamber 2l,-the throat 46,'the lower fan chamher also designated 20,-the circumferen-v tial air space within the lower casing 19,- the lower vane chamber 22,-the throat 47,' and thence to within the field magnets.

en, however, the air drawn out of the lower vane chamber 22 through the throat 47, and passing around the armature 1n the circumferential air area between it and the inner walls of the field, passes through the open areas surrounding the carrying frame 26 for the commutator, it passes into the bottom part of the cup mufiler 33 and thence flows upward and outward from the inside of the cup mufller partly through the apertures 44 in its upper walls, and, also, iabove flange 35, and fills into the interior cylindric air area 54. between the external walls of the upperand lower casings 18 and 19 i and the interior walls of the upper portion of the container, and alsov fills into the circumferential air area 55 between the interior walls of said upper portion of the container, part of the outer upper surface of the cover plate, 17 the baflie'disk 12, and against the outer walls of the tubular gaskets 56, by which it is, so to speak, stopped and thereby prevented from entering the air chamber 16.

Under the influence of the suctionblast of pelled to return-and to pass backward and downward; within and through the air areas inner walls of the eent rai d J2!" l part of the outerunder surface of therefore, com

portion 2 and the cylindric portion 3 of the container and the outer walls of the cup mufiier 33,so as to be forcibly expelled through the open bottom I of the container around and externally of the cup mufiler.

In this passage, the returning air of course passes between the felt strips 38,-

which, as explained, are interposed between the outer walls of the cup mufiler 33 and the inner walls of the cylindric lower portion 3 of the container, to stay and steady said muffler within the container.

In Fig. 6, I have illustrated a modification of the double tubular gaskets 56 illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, by employing a single gasket instead of two. Of course the function of a single gasket, or, for the matter of that, the function of a plurality of gaskets exceeding two, is the same.

In Fig. 7, I have illustrated a modified form of the upper portion of the container, in which I have located the intake elbow 7 laterally instead of centrally of the lid 5 of the container ;instead of making the lid of more or less flattened conical form, have made it flat;and have disposed the bafiie disk 12 angularly instead of horizontally, so that the baffle chamber 9 and the air chamber 16 are somewhat differently shaped.

In maklng the last of these changes, I have dispensed with the tubular gasket and sustained the elevated end of the baffle disk between two cork blocks 57, and rested the lower end upon a supplemental baflie plate 58 formed with a central throat 59 connected with the throat 45 of the cover plate 17 by a flexible cloth connection 60 which, in a sense, is a flexible tube, the flattened peripheral edges 61 of which are shellacked to the bafile plate 58, and the vertical lower edges 62 of which are preferably fastened by a cord Wrapping 63 to a rubber nipple 64. fitting fast to and surrounding the upwardly-extending flanges 65 of the throat 45.

Referring again to the operation of my apparatus and it being, of course, understood that the intake has been connected with the operative parts of a pneumaticallyplayed instrument,when the motor, which is connected with a suitable source of electric current either direct or alternating (not 'shown)is put into operation, it Wlll occasion the revolution of the fan blades and the drawing of the air from the instrument, in and throughout the entire apparatus, always in the direction indicated by the arrows, with the ultimate result that during the airs entire passage through, and until its ultimate expulsion from out the bottom of, the container, no sound will be occa-.

sioned because in no part of the apparatus is there any contact between thecontainer itself and any moving metal part.

As a matter of fact, the casings and their blade, chambers and fan chambers, the motor field housing and the motor within it, and the bearings for the armature shaft, are all, as a concrete unitary structure, supported within the container, and free from metallic contact with any of its parts, by resting upon the cork resting blocks 39' which, through the flange of the cup muffler and the cork blocks 36, rest upon the shoulders 37, and, of course, are prevented from transmitting any sound of the revolving fan blades and armature to the container because of the sound deadening influence of said cork blocks.

Similarly, no vibration of or within the cup muffler can be transmitted outwardly through the walls of the contracted or lower portions of the container, because of the suspension of the cup muffler through its flange between the cork blocks referred to and upon the shoulders,a further prevention of sound escape being insured by the felting strips 38 in their interposed relationship between the outer walls of the cup mufiier and the inner walls of the bottom extension of the container.

In like manner, also, any assumed vertical vibratory movement of'the fan casings and vane casings and of the motor, which might possibly occur, would be balanced, so to speak, between the cork blocks 36 and 39 below and the slightly compressible gaskets 56, above, without necessarily placing or depending upon the cork cushions 43.

In a word, the entire apparatus is proof against the expulsion from it of sound and also proof against the return of any sound backward through the intake.

It is a practical impossibility when the apparatus is in operation for any sound to either emanate from it or be conveyed to the playing instrument.

A further advantage ofno slight moment results from the passage of the air through the circumferential chamber. which surrounds the armature within the field, and naturally tends to prevent overheating of the motor.

In an application for patent executed and filed by me contemporaneously with this application, I have particularly explained and claimed a self-alining bearlng which I have illustrated as used in connection with the armature shaft of this apparatus.

Having thus described my'invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A suction-producing apparatus which comprises in combination :a container inclosed at the top and open at the bottom an air inlet in the top of the container ;--a

casing within the container, the outer walls of Whlcll are spaced apart from the inner walls of the container ;an apertured baffie plate between the top of the container and the top ofthe casing ;a compressible gasket interposed between the baflle plate and the top of the casing, which forms an air chamber between the bafile plate and the top of the casing;-a plurality of rotary fanbladeswithin the upper portion of the casing; -a plurality of vanes also withinthe upper portion of the casing ;an electric motor within the lower portion of the casing, which rotates the fan blades ;and

cushioning devices interposed between the I inner walls of the container ;an apertured baffle plate between the top of the container and the top of the casing;a compressible gasket interposed between the baifie plate and the top of the casing, which forms an air chamber between the baflle plate and the top of the casing;a plurality of rotary fan blades within the upper portion of the casing ;a plurality of vanes also within the upper portion of the casing;.an electric motor within the lower portion of the casing, which rotates the fan blades ;a mufiier open at the top and closed at the bottom,

and interposed between the lower portion of the casing andthe lower portion of the contamer-;cushioning devices interposed between the inner walls of the container and the outer walls of the casing ;and cushioning devices interposed between the inner walls of the container and the outer walls of the mufiler.

3. A suction-producing apparatus which comprises in combination :a container inclosed at the top and open at the bottom an air inlet in the top of the container a casing within the container the outer walls of which are spaced apart from the inner walls of the container ;an apertured bafile plate between the top of the container and the top of the casing;-a baflie chamber between the top. of the container and the bafiie plate ;a compressible gasket interposed between the baffle plate and the top of the casing, which' forms an air chamber between the bafile plate and the top of the casing a plurality of rotary fan blades within the;

upper portion of the. casing ;a plurality of vanes also within the-upper portion ofthe casmg;-an'electric motor. within the lower portion of said casing, which rotates the fan blades ;a mufiier open at the top and closed. at the bottom, and "inte osed. between the lower portion of the .casmg and the lower vices within the container upon whic V casing rests cush1oning devices interposed.

inner walls of the container and c portion of the container ;,cushioning devlces interposed between the inner Walls of the container and the outer walls of the casing ;and cushioning devices interposed between the inner walls of the container and.

the outer walls of the mufiler.

4:. A suction-producing apparatus of the class recited, in which are combined :-a

container inclosed at the top and open at the ing ;-an electric motor within the lower port1on of the casing, which rotates the fan blades ;supporting devices within the container upon which *the casing rests ;cush ioning devices interposed between the inner walls of the container and the outer walls of the 'casing;and cushioningdevices be- 4 tween the supporting devices and both the inner walls of the container and the'outer Walls of the casing.

5. A suction-producing apparatus of the class recited, in which are combined ;a container inclosed at the top and open at the bottom ;an air inlet tainer; a casing within the container, the outer walls of which are spaced apart from the inner walls of the container :a plurality of rotary fan blades within the upper portion of the casing;a plurality of vanes also within the upperportion of the casing ;-an electric motor within the lower portion of the casing, which rotates the fan blades ;a mufiler open at the top and 'closed at the bottom, and interposed between the lower portion of the casing and the lower portion of the container ;-supportin% dethe between the the outer walls of the casing; and cushioning devices between the supporting devices and both the inner walls of'the container and the outer walls of the casing.

6. A suction-producing apparatus which comprises in combination':a' container in closed at the top and open at the bottom an air inlet in the top of the container a casing within the container, the outer 4 walls of which are spaced apart from the inner walls of the container ;an apertured bafiie plate between the top of the :contain'er in the top of the con-' and the-top of the casing;-'the apertures of which are covered by dust-impervious 'ma terial;-acompressible gasket interposed between the baflieplate and the top of the casing which forms an air chamber between the baflie plate and the. top of the casing ;a

fan blades within the plurality of rotary upper portion of the casing ;-a plurality of vanes also within the upper portion of the casing ;an electric motor within the lower portion of the casing which rotates the fan blades ;a mufiler open at the top and closed at the bottom, and interposed between 10 the container and the outer walls of the casing ;and cushioning devices interposeii' between the inner walls of the container and the outer walls of the mufiler.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 29th day of March,

GEORGE W. GARMAN. In the presence of- J. BONSALL TAYLOR,

CHAS. W. YOUNG. 

